Ambulance Active Spring 2011Published By Countrywide Austral
Ambulance Active is published by Countrywide Austral. Countrywide Austral adheres to stringent ethical advertising practices and any advertising inquiries should be directed to Countrywide Austral Level 2, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne • GPO Box 2466, Melbourne 3001 Ph: (03) 9937 0200 Fax: (03) 9937 0201 • Email: admin@cwaustral.com.au
Ambulance Active is published by Countrywide Austral. Countrywide Austral adheres to stringent ethical advertising practices and any advertising inquiries should be directed to Countrywide Austral Level 2, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne • GPO Box 2466, Melbourne 3001
Ph: (03) 9937 0200 Fax: (03) 9937 0201 • Email: admin@cwaustral.com.au
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cover story<br />
“ From golf days to a Kokoda Trial walk,<br />
24‐hour marathons, kayaking, running,<br />
cycling right through to a cupcake<br />
challenge, if ambos think of it, it happens.”<br />
Jamie with United Voice officials.<br />
The cost of Jamie’s care and this<br />
specialised equipment was significant and<br />
the process of a Workcover claim began.<br />
Jamie and Melinee particularly acknowledge<br />
QAS Workplace Health and Safety<br />
Paramedic Rod Powell for the enormous<br />
amount of assistance he gave in this area.<br />
Jamie and Melinee also became very<br />
aware of how the ambulance family works<br />
together. Local ambos assisted with<br />
renovating Jamie’s two-story townhouse<br />
in preparation to be sold, enabling the<br />
Jackway’s to finance a purpose built, and<br />
wheelchair friendly, home.<br />
A concerted effort from staff from<br />
around Queensland was in full swing when<br />
then QAS Commissioner David Melville<br />
launched the Jamie Jackway Appeal.<br />
From golf days to a Kokoda Trial walk,<br />
24-hour marathons, kayaking, running,<br />
cycling right through to a cupcake<br />
challenge, if ambos think of it, it happens.<br />
The enormous effort of staff ultimately<br />
gained great community support. The<br />
donations and offers of help have been<br />
significant but more work is still to<br />
be done.<br />
Businesses right around Queensland<br />
have donated materials for the muchneeded<br />
construction of the new<br />
wheelchair friendly Jackway home<br />
in Townsville. Concrete, tapware,<br />
paint and painters, air conditioners,<br />
solar panels, roofing materials,<br />
cupboards, windows and doors, the list<br />
is extensive. With the majority of these<br />
items donated, the cost to build this new<br />
home for Jamie and Melinee has been<br />
greatly reduced.<br />
Pallet loads of donated materials from<br />
the southeast corner of Queensland were<br />
transported for free by Toll Transport –<br />
all organised by the Transport Workers<br />
Union. Jamie is a member of United Voice<br />
(Queensland <strong>Ambulance</strong> Section) and<br />
Hall Payne Lawyers are looking after his<br />
pending legal case.<br />
The house is currently 80 percent<br />
complete and the next major working bee<br />
will include landscaping and irrigation.<br />
Jamie hopes to be in the new family<br />
home before Christmas 2011.<br />
Jamie would like to particularly<br />
acknowledge the work of the QAS family<br />
during his time in hospital. Melinee and<br />
family were provided with a car and motel<br />
accommodation not far from the hospital.<br />
QAS Liaison Officers Tony King and Mike<br />
Day have provided enormous support<br />
and ensured Jamie and his family never<br />
went without.<br />
The Jamie Jackway QAS appeal wound up<br />
in May 2011 after raising $65,000. This was<br />
due specifically to the enormous amount of<br />
work done by fellow ambos Bob Glenister<br />
and Richard Galeano to form the Jamie<br />
Jackway 2012 Foundation and, more recently,<br />
the <strong>Austral</strong>ian National Paramedic Support<br />
Foundation (ANPSF).This foundation was<br />
formed due to the amount of work underway<br />
around the state and the need to co-ordinate<br />
the fine efforts and ensure the needs of<br />
Jamie and Melinee in the challenge to<br />
build their new home were met.<br />
The main aim is to ensure the ANPSF can<br />
continue to support the Jackway family and<br />
to ensure that any ambulance staff member<br />
who may need assistance in the future has<br />
an established foundation to support them.<br />
Hopefully this story demonstrates the<br />
ongoing need for paramedics, who face<br />
daily challenges right across our country,<br />
to continue looking out for one another, be<br />
safe in our workplaces, and know that our<br />
work mates can and will support each other<br />
in times of need. Above all, to hopefully<br />
ensure that we all come home safe from<br />
our shifts – wherever we may be located.<br />
Aaron Harper is a QAS ICP Flight<br />
Paramedic, based at the Townsville<br />
Emergency Management Queensland<br />
Airwing.Aaron wrote this article with<br />
the permission of his friends, Jamie and<br />
Melinee Jackway, who would like to extend<br />
their heartfelt thanks to everyone who has<br />
helped along their journey so far.<br />
More about Jamie Jackway’s<br />
amazing journey can be viewed at<br />
www.ambulanceactive.com.au<br />
About the ANPSF<br />
The <strong>Austral</strong>ian National Paramedic<br />
Support Foundation (ANPSF) was<br />
established as a result of QAS<br />
paramedic Jamie Jackway, who was<br />
tragically injured in a rescue chopper<br />
accident and now faces life as a<br />
quadriplegic. The foundation is an<br />
independent not-for-profit charity,<br />
operated by a voluntary Board<br />
of Directors and Advisory Board.<br />
It is a registered<br />
charity and all<br />
donations are<br />
tax deductible.<br />
AMBULANCE ACTIVE SPRING 2011<br />
21